‘PAINFUL LOSS’
Tragic final selfie shows three students storm chasing before they died in an accident heading home
THE final selfie showing three students storm chasing before they died in an accident as they headed home, has emerged.
The three victims were meteorology students at the University of Oklahoma, according to reports.
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Nicholas Nair, 20; Gavin Short, 19; and Drake Brooks, 22, were killed after their vehicle hydroplaned and lost control while returning to Norman from storm chasing in Kansas at around 11.23pm Friday.
The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan left the roadway to the right and then came back onto the highway and stopped.
It was then struck by a semi traveling in the same direction, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
It took nearly five and a half hours for Tonkawa Fire Department officials and paramedics to remove the victims from the wreckage.
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All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the other vehicle was treated and released from a hospital, according to reports.
The three victims were reportedly on their way back from storm chasing after a tornado ripped through Andover, damaging hundreds of homes and buildings.
Tributes have poured in, with Leigh O'Neil, a geographic information science major at OU, saying the three students were the "kindest, smartest people" she'd ever met.
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She added the selfie the three sent to their friends Friday was a perfect representation of how funny they were.
"You couldn't be around them without laughing your ass off," she said.
"They truly would do anything to help others out, even before their own well being," O'Neil said. "They are already missed greatly. Their loss is insanely painful for us all."
Evan Short, 17, Gavin Short's younger brother, said Gavin "lived more in his 1.5 years at OU than in his first 18 years of life."
"I can find solace in the idea that now he can live among the clouds which he loved so much," Evan Short said.
The University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences released a statement confirming the accident and lives lost.
"Our community in Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is close-knit, and our School of Meteorology is very much a family," it said.
"Now, more than ever, we must come together in kindness and heartfelt support for one another.
"Please join us in offering thoughts and prayers for those most impacted, and providing them with privacy."
'UNTHINKABLE HEARTBREAK'
It added counseling was available "as we all grieve this unthinkable heartbreak."
Chris Dixon, a fellow OU meteorology student, who was part of a separate group of students storm chasing Friday wrote on Twitter: "Words cannot describe this rollercoaster of emotions from one of the highest points of my life to one of the most close-to-home serious ones."
OU meteorology alum, and well-known storm chaser, Reed Trimmer called the students friends and said they are close to his heart.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends," Timmer said.
The National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma tweeted that their evening balloon release was in honor of the three victims of the crash.
"On this very sad day in the Norman weather community, our evening weather balloon launch is dedicated to Nic, Drake, and Gavin - OU meteorology students who died in a tragic traffic accident last night."
Officials continue to sift through the debris left in the tornado's wake.
Around 1,000 buildings had been affected by the tornado, which swept through Andover, Kansas on Friday.
Officials said on Saturday that more than 6,500 people were without power as a result of the tornado.
A handful of injuries had been reported from the tornado, though no fatalities had been confirmed, officials said.
In a news conference Saturday morning, Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said some homes "were completely blown away."
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Russell said homes were knocked off of their foundations completely, and some neighborhoods were entirely wiped out.
A State of Disaster Emergency has been declared for hard-hit areas by Governor Laura Kelly.
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